The largest fish species in the world, Whale Sharks, have been preserved in the last two years by Gujarati fishermen working with officials from the forest department. The government used the statistics in response to a question in the Assembly. The forest and environment minister indicated in a written response to a non-starred question from Surat East MLA Arvind Rana that 50 Whale Sharks had been saved in 2021 and 41 of the fish had been saved in 2022.
Sources said more than 1,700 Whale Sharks have been rescued in Gujarat since the project was implemented.
Fishermen who must remove their nets when the giant fish is captured in them are given compensation up to Rs 25,000 for it, in accordance with the rules of the Whale Shark Conservation Project, which was launched by the state in 2003–04.
The Whale Shark (Rhincodon Typus), which is a species of shark and the largest known non-mammalian vertebrate creature on the planet, can grow up to 40 feet in length and weigh up to 11 tonnes. It is classified as an Endangered Species on the IUCN Red List.